Happy Holidays, I’m Kevin Schulke, Category Manager of Beer, Wine and Snacks. I’m here to talk to you about pairing wines with your Thanksgiving feast. Whether you’re hosting for the first time or twentieth time or if you are a guest looking for a great wine to bring to your holiday festivities, we have three wines that will please someone in every crowd and pair wonderfully with traditional Thanksgiving foods. It is no wonder they are among the most popular wines during this holiday.
Red wine enthusiasts will love Mark West Pinot Noir. It is light and juicy with lush raspberry, vanilla and cherry pie flavors. Mark West is made from grapes sourced from coastal vineyards across California and is then aged in French oak barrels for 8-10 months. This Pinot Noir pairs well with dark turkey meat, ham and stuffing. Mark West is the #1 Pinot Noir in New England and a great value for the money.
If you want to impress your guests with a new-age red wine, Beaujolais Nouveau is for you. Beaujolais Nouveau is a young red wine made from handpicked Gamay grapes grown in the Beaulolais region of France. While most red wines improve as they age, Beaujolais’ allure is all about freshness. Fermentation is so short that the resulting wine exhibits fruity flavors and light tannis. Under French law, this wine may be released at 12:01 on the third Thursday of November, just weeks after the wine’s grapes have been harvested. Producers race to deliver this wine to retailers throughout France and the world where it is popularly enjoyed with Thanksgiving dinner. Beaujolais Nouveau should be consumed within a year of being made and is best served slightly cooled. This year we have selected to carry the world renowned George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau in our stores.*
To complement its trendy appeal, each year George Duboeuf chooses a new artist to create their label. This year they have chosen Brooklyn-born Michael McLeer, known as “Kaves.” Kaves is a multi-media artist with many creative expressions including painting, street art, film, music, tattooing and writing.
When hosting any event, you should always have a white wine as well as red. Chateau St. Michelle Riesling is a great choice; it is actually the #1 selling Riesling in America. Chateau St. Michelle Riesling has refreshing flavors of ripe peach and juicy pear with subtle mineral notes. As with all Rieslings, it is made in stainless steel tanks to protect and highlight the flavor of the grapes rather than oak barrels, which provide an oaky taste. Rieslings are typically sweeter than most white wines so it may be a good idea to have a drier white wine as well such as a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Cheers!
Kevin
*Please note that we only carry wine in Vermont, New Hampshire and the following Massachusetts stores: Pittsfield, Shrewsbury, Lenox.